Easy Traditional Chinese Steamed Egg Cake

My variation of a steamed”Marble Eggcake” using some coffee flavour. I had used a Corningware casserole instead of a baking tray this time.💡

Good morning, dear friends,😀

Due to the large interest in the Malay Style Steamed Egg Cake recipe, I am posting another version of steamed egg cake – the more traditional Chinese one, which is healthier and less fattening.😉 The ones that my mother-in-law used to make didn’t use ice-cream soda, which helps to make the cake rise more and become lighter.

The first recipe below is from a famous local Chef Amy Beh from her Kuali recipes collection. If you don’t have a rattan basket for steaming, you can use a round metal tray like my mother-in-law did. The trick is to steam the tray for 5 minutes to get it hot, then lay the greaseproof paper and then pour in the batter, okay?😀

Easy Traditional Chinese Steamed Egg Cake – Amy Beh Method

Ingredients

8 eggs

160g castor sugar

160g plain flour, sifted

175ml ice-cream soda

Method

Line bottom of a 23cm bamboo rattan basket with grease-proof paper. Place eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thick and lemon-coloured. Sift in flour and gently fold in with a metal spoon. Beat in ice-cream soda until mixture is well combined.Pour mixture into prepared basket and steam over rapid boiling water for 25–30 minutes.

I usually steam my eggcake in a wok (with cover) but I thought I would show you can use a large pot to steam this cake, too💡

Chinese Steamed Egg Cake (Gai Darn Koh) – Method 2

I tried this method one day when I didn’t have cream soda on hand and the cake turned out wonderful as well. :wink:

Ingredients :-

6 large or AA-sized eggs

1 1/4 cups fine or castor sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Method –

1) Beat eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until frothy, about 20 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, boil some water in your wok, or get your electric steamer ready. Line up a baking tin with some greaseproof paper and heat the tin up for 5 minutes in the wok or steamer….preheating up the container helps to raise the cake more.

3) Sift the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

4) Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the beaten eggs. Pour into the preheated steaming tin or container.

5) Steam immediately for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy this with a cup of your favourite beverage – I like to dunk mine into a cup of hot, creamy Milo!😉

happyhomemaker88 said,

I made this steamed egg cake with a different recipe just 2 weeks ago and I used a round baking tin to steam it. It turned out fine – the trick is to line the tin with parchment or greaseproof paper and then heat it up for a few minutes before pouring the batter into the tin.

I didn’t have any ice-cream soda on hand at that time and I tried another recipe, which turned out very yummy and soft, too. My kids love eating it with a glass of Milo or kopi-o.

Here is the recipe –

6 large or AA-sized eggs

1 1/4 cups fine or castor sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Method –

1) Beat eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until frothy, about 20 minutes.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Here in Kuala Lumpur, there are many shops that sells rattan goods and baskets – I have a few types of rattan baskets and I got them from household supplies stores, art and craft shops (the baskets are used for floral arrangements, and supermarkets.

clarissa hsiang-pai kao said,

What is castor sugar?I am in the u.s.a. over 48 yrs.the other day I tried to make egg cake,with flour,sugar,baking powder,baking soda and pinch of salta little water and vanilla,and a few eggs.bake at 325 degree for 45 min.But the product did not raise at all.I do not know what happended?
I miss so much the egg cake(chinese bakery’s)I am in a very small town,
we have no chinese bakery at all.
Would please mail me a simple chinese egg cake recipe?
Many thanks
Claeissa

happyhomemaker88 said,

I think it could be due to the addition of water to your egg batter and/or the eggs were not beaten long enough that could have caused the cake not to rise when you baked it.

The recipe here is for steamed cakes and I am not sure if it will work as well for baking. Yes, I know those little baked egg cakes from Chinese bakeries – I used to eat a lot of them when I was a kid. But these days, it is harder to find this baked egg cakes.

I have another version of the steamed egg cake recipe, which you can try baking –

Here is the recipe –

6 large or AA-sized eggs

1 1/4 cups fine or castor sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Method –

1) Beat eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until frothy, about 20 minutes.

Michelle said,

Hi!
I am eager to try this recipe soon but I don’t have castor sugar. Will regular granulated sugar give the same texture and effect? And is this light/fluffy or is it dense? I prefer light/fluffy cakes🙂.

happyhomemaker88 said,

If you don’t have castor sugar, you can use fine granulated sugar and just beat the eggs until the sugar is completely melted, probably just a few minutes longer. The texture will still be light and fluffy.😉

I have not tried steaming this cake without parchment paper (you can use greaseproof paper, too) and therefore, I can’t confirm if you can use just a glass pie plate (I have one like that, too). Perhaps you can try out with a light greased pie plate but be sure to heat it up for 5 minutes in the steamer (or oven) first. I have found this step helps to make the cake rise higher and be more fluffy.

happyhomemaker88 said,

I’m sorry I’m not sure what went wrong with your cake.😳 Perhaps the batter was too high, i.e. the container is not wide enough? Or the eggs were not sufficiently beaten, i.e. not light and aerated enough? A tip is to preheat for 5 minutes the metal container used to steam the cake. Also, make sure that there is space between the water level and the bottom of the steaming container. 😉

Carol said,

I have a cousin who has a craving for Ji Dan Gao and I have been looking for a reliable recipe to make it for her. Having tried your cream puff recipe out, I have received great comments !! Thanks to you…. Now I will try the steamed egg cake next but was wondering since you have tried out both recipes, which one is better?

happyhomemaker88 said,

Thank you for trying out my recipes here. I’m glad you had good feedback on your cream puffs.😉

Between the 2 recipes, I prefer the second one as I don’t always have cream soda on hand. Besides, the second recipe is more traditional as my late mother-in-law often made this cake for our Chinese festivals and prayers.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Phew! I’m really glad your Chinese steamed egg turned out well this time. After I had replied you the last time, I got a craving for this cake and made one immediately. I really like this type of cake – healthier as there is no oil and very light to eat.😆

Jenny said,

happyhomemaker88 said,

I usually use the second recipe here that does not require the ice cream soda. To fold means to gently mix in using “up and down” motions…instead of clockwise or anticlockwise stirring. Folding ensures that the “air” from beating the eggs is not lost and the cake remains fluffy and light. Beat in the ice cream soda gently by hand.

AA eggs means Large Grade Eggs. As the eggs go smaller, it goes down to B Grade and then C Grade. I’m sorry I don’t know how heavy a large egg is.😳

Maybe I can help with the size of the eggs… large (AA) means 60 gms each (600gms per box), smaller ones will be 55-59 gms or some even smaller 50-54 gms, this infos are stated on the label on each box.

Yen said,

I found your website very interesting. I am interested in making this steamed cake, but I don’t have an electric mixer. Is it fine to just beat the eggs and the sugar with a whisk for a few minutes? Will it work? Thank you very much!

happyhomemaker88 said,

Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, if you don’t have an electric mixer, you can use a whisk….but you will have to spend quite some time beating to get a foamy, light yellow consistency to the eggs. It is better to use the second method here then – the one with the baking powder to help the cake rise.😉

The other day, I was thinking about the baked egg cake slices (sponge cake fingers) that I used to eat when I was a kid – well, that’s more than 36 years ago. They were packed in a long tin. One day, I am going to steam this egg cake here, cool it down and cut into little rectangular slices (like bread) 1 cm thick…and then bake them gently in the oven (about 150 degree Celcius) until crisp. Then dunk them in a cup of hot Milo or chocolate or coffee for a great tea time snack! Yummy!😆

happyhomemaker88 said,

I usually use the lowest speed on the electric mixer and leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on how frothy the eggs turn out) to beat the eggs, while I go measure out the flour and other ingredients.

yen said,

It must be telepathy…..i was thinking about this steam cake of yours but unable to find it in my notebook…….then here i come…..and bingo! there it is!! so very happy. I am going to try this out soon but have questions for you har!

1) Cup means 250ml?
2) Can I use muffin tins instead, 6 pcs in a tray then I oil it with butter?
3) Forthy means like foams with soft peaks or stiff peaks? (i am using my hands to beat it)

happyhomemaker88 said,

Wah, this cake will go so well with a hot cup of coffee or Milo…so yummy hor!😆

1 cup in this recipe means the measuring cup size used for dry ingredients…not the liquid measurement cups. I guess you can try using muffin tins…let me know how the cakes turn out and I may just follow your style of making this steamed egg cake.

Frothy means the whole eggs mixture are beaten until very bubbly and whitish, not just the tops. If you are using hands to beat the mixture, I’m afraid it will take you a long time and you will be very tired. Using those “spring” type metal beater will help…the type used by the older generations to make this cake.

yen said,

Thanks. Oh yes, should be for dry one. My measuring jug has both ml (for liquid) and grams (for dry). So your one cup means how many grams? 250 grams har?

As for the egg beater, i will be using two together surely will beat faster and better loh!

The other day, intending to make banana muffins but instead i made a mistake read the wrong recipe for making banana cake, so how! all the ingredients mixed already, i went ahead, still put into muffins tins and it turned out to be moist and fluffy and delicious too! So I feel it should be ok. After all, how the cake know whether it is rattan basket or metal tin or muffin tins, if it works for one then it should work for the rest too!

happyhomemaker88 said,

Yes, my family also did the Qing Ming prayers last weekend, too – on Sunday yesterday. We like to go after the actual date as there should not be too many people and big crowds. However, we noticed for the last 2 years, more families were also praying Qing Ming after April 5. Not sure if they had postpone their normal timing or just that more people are praying to ancestors now that economy is bad.

How’s the weather in Singapore? Here in KL, it is sooooo humid and hot, despite almost daily rainfall. The heat is making it harder to do my chores and cooking….I seem to be dragging my feet more these days.🙄😆

I just finished cooking dinner – chicken stirfry with oyster sauce/ginger/raisin wine, stirfry pea sprouts, canned sardines with sliced onions/tomatoes and a claypot of arrow root/pork rib/chicken feet/honey dates/red dates/carrot soup. Oh, I forgot to tell you I have a new kitchen toy – a large claypot which I have started experimenting with some soups and some recipes. I was supposed to blog about it here but my brain is not cooperating with me to write in this heat.😳

So far, it is true that food cooked in claypot is really more delicious. I was thinking…maybe I will make some “naan” bread and tandoori chicken, see if my claypot can be used as a tandoori oven. I always wanted to cook those at home. This claypot can be used as an oven to bake cakes or roast chicken, too…it is a giant soup pot.😉

Oh, guess what? My washing machine broke down last week🙄 and the first day after that, I washed my family’s dirty laundry by hand….wow, it was a exhausting job doing 6 person’s laundry. I think I used a lot of water and electricity for that job!😆 After that, I just sent the clothes to a laundromat nearby. I was thinking sometimes, better to spend a little money than to suffer from backaches and rough hands from all the washing.🙄

Heheh, sorry got a little long winded here, but thought to chit chat with you since I didn’t email you for quite some time already hor.😀

Take care and do have a relaxing evening tonite. It is always my favourite time of the day when I have finished my hectic schedule for the day, dinner is ready and I had a cool shower. Ah….bliss….😆

yen said,

Wow, quite a long chit chatting loh! After such a long spell of hot hot humid days, yesterday evening abt 6pm it really rained cats and dogs and i was admiring and enjoying the rain tit tat tit tat coming down like thick threads of curtains while closing my windows. What a lovely sight!

Today, it is back to normal, hot sun and perspiring bodies aiyah! now taking a break after lunch.

Ah….claypot can also use for making KAYA which I tried recently and it turned out so much better than those sold in the confectionary! If u r interested, can email u the recipe hor! No idea abt the naan bread whether can or not lah!

Abt Qing Ming, actual date is Apr 4 or 5 every year! I was so tired too after the many hours of burning the joss papers.

Yes, do take care of your backs, knees and legs as we are one year older this year.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Another reason why I like to do as much cleaning as possible at a time is because this humidity is making me sweat buckets…so, I try to do as much as possible. I just finished cleaning my ground and middle floors, tried to do the top floor (bedrooms) but can’t as I ran out of time in the morning and I had to shower before I fetch my children from school loh.

3 of my kids suddenly got a bad sore throat in just a few hours…must be some strong bug in the air…and this is despite me making cooling drinks for them. I just boiled another pot of the Miracle Vegetable soup and hope this will bring the heatiness down for them. So, tonight will be white porridge and some simple dishes for dinner.😉

Oh, I sure would love to have your kaya recipe and I am going to email you now for it! Hope you are having a cooling day at your end…here the rain just started but the humidity level is so high, the air feels thick.🙄

yen said,

There is a little time this morning for trying out your recipe with mum’s maid.

1) use muffins tin (12 small muffins)
oil it with butter then steamed for a few minutes, while waiting for her to beat the eggs and sugar. It took a long time at least 45 minutes and not sure that is the right consistency…..frothy means what har??? anyway from yellowish it become whittish…so we stopped, so very tiring…..

by the time batter is ready, muffins tin already cooled….then we steamed it for ten minutes only…..hmmm…cake is spongy but it sticked at the sides (maybe the tin is not warm enough)….at one go, i finished 6 small muffins with a cup of milo…not enough leh!

2) use alumnimum tin (for making pie or quinche)
oil it with butter then steamed for a few minutes, add in batter and then steamed for 25 minutes….this time the cake come off easily from the tin (because it is still warm when batter is added).

Hmm….cake is light, spongy and yummy! just like pandan chifon cake……in fact i could finish the whole 12 pcs but …..no lah watch my weight har!

The meansurement is solved because sis measuring cup is the same as yours, so we used the exact measurement.

Only problem that i have is the cake is flat at the top whereas yours is dome in shape. Dont understand why har??

happyhomemaker88 said,

Ah, finally you tried out this cake. I’m glad you had your mum’s maid to help you beat the eggs…..otherwise, you will be kaput from all that beating. Heheh, frothy means very light with tiny air bubbles and you are right – the colour is lighter. In the olden days, our grannies used to beat patiently by hands. I don’t remember my late mother-in-law complaining last time.😆

Wow, thank you for your feedback. I have never used just the tin only as I usually line a piece of parchment or greaseproof paper, following my mother-in-law’s style. I don’t know why some cakes rise more though😳 But one thing is for sure, the cake is gone very fast, just like you….I can eat many slices with just a cup of hot Milo hor. One thing good about this cake, if we cut down the sugar content, it is not too fattening as it has no oil in it. Even with chiffon cake, it has oil.😉

All this talk about steamed egg cake makes me yearn to make some. I must go buy some fresh Omega eggs tomorrow.😆

yen said,

Just had a lovely half pce of your steamed cake which we made again today!

This was how: use 2 eggs (1/3 of your recipe) and the rest of ingredients also in this proportion.

1) beating the eggs with sugar
using slightly less sugar this time, beat with 2 eggs using 2 egg beaters, took 25 minutes from yellowish to whittish creamy like sour cream colour but runny
2) butter all the sides of a pandan chifon cake pan (the one with the hole in the centre) then heat it up in the steamer. There was water in it after steamed but we did not pour away and the bottom of the cake is wet. Next time, i think we should pour away the water….
3) steam for 25 minutes

We could not wait for it to be cooled, so use a fan to blow and waited for 20 minutes then we cut into pcs and ate it so quickly and within minutes the cake disappeared! At this speed you would know how tasty and delicious it was!

Well, we are going to make it again next week but this time bake in the oven!

Thank you once again for sharing with us this lovely recipe!
Have a nice weekend with your family members.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Wow, thank you so much for your enthusiastic feedback on your steamed egg cake. Heheh, I have a big smile on my face as I am typing this …. visualising in my mind how your cake was gone so fast.😆

Do you remember those baked rectangular pieces of egg cakebiscuits sold during the days when we were children – it was very popular and sold in tins❓

Nowadays, very hard to find those. Sometimes, I cut my steamed egg cake into slices and then bake for a short while in the oven, about 10 minutes or lesser until just slightly brown at the edges. When cooled, they become light, sponge cake biscuits.

Athena Kawasaki said,

I’ve had these cakes from the Chinatown bakery. Yours look fantastic. I thought I’d give your recipe a try. What is ice-cream soda? In New England, ice cream soda means soda (aka Sprite, 7 Up, Cocoa Cola, Root Beer, …) with a scoop of ice cream in it. It’s a great drink, but I’m pretty sure not for steamed egg cake. I have a bottle of Enos. Is that like ice cream soda?

happyhomemaker88 said,

This cake is a very traditional, Chinese cake that is simple to make and tastes heavenly without the calories of oil. Steamed cakes are not as heaty as baked cakes.

When I was in the US, I didn’t see any “ice cream soda” and I think that is only found in this part of the world? It is just a soda like 7-up but it tastes like ice cream, hence its name. 😉

Usually, I would follow the second recipe here – the one without the ice cream soda. It works as well, too! The ice cream soda and its fizz is to give the cake more lift and fluffiness. My late mother-in-law’s egg cake recipe just had 3 ingredients ===> eggs, sugar and flour. But it was not as light as those that we make with added baking powder or ice cream soda.

I would think the closest in taste to ice cream soda is 7-up. Maybe you may like to try that? Let me know how it turns out if you do.😉

Athena said,

Thanks for your reply. It is unusually hot and humid here today. All the insects are out, as I just found out when I stepped into my slippers this morning and “found” a wasp in the toe. As soon as the swelling from the sting goes down, I am going to the supermarket. From your description, the ice cream soda sounds really similar to something we have called cream soda. I’m going to try it and will let you know the results. This cake sounds much healthier than the American cakes, especially since it is less sugary and less heaty from not using and oven. Perfect for a day like today. BTW if you like yogurt, I think it is supposed to be a very cooling food. We always eat it when we feel heaty, though my dad doesn’t like it that much. ヾ(*^。^*)ノ
Have a great weekend!
Athena

happyhomemaker88 said,

I’m sorry your got stung by a wasp – hope your toe is feeling better by now. Thank you for your information on yogurt being a cooling food – I didn’t know that. Ah, now I can eat those flavoured/fruity sweet yogurt whenever I feel heaty. That’s about the only type of yogurt that I take….I don’t like the taste of plain yogurt (tastes and smells like vomit to me :oops:) and fresh milk.

Athena said,

Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I was able to buy some A&W brand Cream Soda (vanilla flavored) to try on the cakes. They turned out spectacularly fluffy and light as a feather. This recipe may be better than the cakes I’ve bought in the Boston Chinatown. BTW, I tried a little experiment with some of the batter to make a microwaved mini-cake. It turned out okay, but the steamed version is much much better.

happyhomemaker88 said,

I’m glad you could find some Cream Soda and your steamed egg cake turned out fantastic! So, from your little experiment, we now know that the microwave version will work but it won’t be as good as the steamed one. Thank you for sharing your experience here.😀

Sigh….today’s heat and humidity has been exceptionally bad, so much so that I am just sitting around, not able to do much. I have decided not to cook today and I am avoiding going to the kitchen.😳 😆

angela said,

Hi,
would like to ask🙂 do we need to add in water in the recipe and why? Coz, as far i can remember from my mom’s recipe…. she do add in some water.
second ques, can i replace the sugar? coz some of my family members are Diabetic🙂

happyhomemaker88 said,

From what I know and from how I saw my late mother-in-law made this cake, there is no water added. Maybe there is a reason why your mom added some water. May I know how much does she add and if her recipe is similar to this one? This way, we learn another recipe for this yummy steamed egg cake.💡

Regarding replacing the sugar, I’m afraid I don’t know the answer😳 , maybe you can try out this recipe without the sugar and see how it turns out.😉

happyhomemaker88 said,

I’m afraid I don’t know what went wrong with your cake but I can only guess?😳

I remember the first time I made this cake when I was younger and the texture of the cake was rough, too. The differences in that method I had used earlier and this recipe were these :-

1) I didn’t sift the flour

2) there was no baking powder used earlier

A few weeks back, I tried using “Superfine Flour” for making cakes and the results turned out even better! The texture of the cake was very fine and light. I had also used Kampung Eggs (free range chicken eggs) and the “eggy” aroma of the cake was very strong and the colour very yellow.💡

I also tried adding in some coffee to make the cake a “Marbled Coffee Steamed Egg Cake” but the coffee taste wasn’t very strong.😳 I had taken a photo and will try to remember to post it here.😳😆

happyhomemaker88 said,

I had just uploaded 2 photos here – one of a “Steamed Marble Cake” and the other of how the cake was steamed in a large pot instead of a wok. I thought of giving the cake a variation by adding some coffee flavour.💡

yas said,

I followed method2,used casserole over a wok filled with hot water. After25mins, cake rised and i poke with satay stick to ensure it is cooked before i removed from wok. However when i cut it after i let cool, i noticed some area at the bottom are still wet. I was dissappointed to see it. Where went wrong?

happyhomemaker88 said,

I’m sorry I’m not sure exactly sure why the bottom of your cake was still wet and can only guess.😳

Prior to putting in the batter, did you heat up your casserole by leaving it to steam in the wok for 5 minutes first? That helps to warm up the batter at the bottom and start it cooking compared to the rest of the batter.

If yes to the above, did you check to see if there was any water that could have collected in the bottom of the casserole from the steam in the wok, before you pour in the batter?

Be sure to leave 1 inch of space between the water and the bottom of the casserole so that there will be even distribution of steam in the wok. The temperature of steam is higher that boiling water.💡

If you have done all those, then perhaps you may need to steam your cake for another 10 minutes more or so. Unlike baking cakes, this cake can be steamed longer. My late mother-in-law would make a large tray of eggcake and she steams it for 1 hour.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Lily said,

Thanks for sharing the steam sponge cake recipe. I tried and it turned out well except I found the cake a bit ‘hard’ not as fluffy. The colour was right, cake did rise and not too eggy smell. Would using self raising flour make the cake lighter? Used the method 2 recipe. It’s my favourite and will try again. But will wait for your response.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Yes, using self raising flour is good, too, but you would have to omit the baking powder. If the instructions in the recipe have been followed and the cake is not fluffy still, it could be due to the flour. For my latest “marble eggcake”, I tried using superfine flour for cakes and cookies and the texture of the eggcake was really fine. Another tip is to sift the all purpose flour twice to give it air and lightness.💡

Lily said,

Thanks for your reply. Does beating the egg mixture for 20 min and steaming for 20-25 min could affect the texture of the steamed egg cake? I remember that the cake was steamed in a big basket, sold by the hawkers in M’sia. Do you think using a basket rather than a tin produce a better resulf?? Problem is I’m in Aust and won’t know where to get the basket.

happyhomemaker88 said,

I would think using a basket lined with paper would produce a better result. But so far, my late mother-in-law and me have been using tins only. Her cakes were made with 30 eggs at one time and she used a giant metal tray. Beating the eggs for a good 20 to 25 minutes will build up good froth and air in the egg mixture, thus giving it a light texture. The baking powder helps the flour to rise well and become light. However, my late MIL didn’t use any baking powder in her time and her cake is still very soft but not as light. Another thing to be sure is the eggs must be as fresh as possible and be at room temperature before beating.😉

happyhomemaker88 said,

I am not sure as I have not tried adding yeast before.😳 However, this recipe doesn’t require yeast, which may alter its taste, I think. I noticed sometimes, I may had put too much baking powder and then the “eggy” taste was not so good and I could taste the baking soda.

happyhomemaker88 said,

Yes, when a normal work is used, there can be some water condensation dripping back onto the kai tan koe, thus making some spots of the cake wet and not so nice looking. If there is enough space between the top of the cake and the bottom of the wok cover, place a piece of muslin or thin cloth over the wok to prevent water from dropping back onto the cake.💡

For my cake in the large metal pot as shown in the picture above, I covered the pot with a piece of cloth and then placed the pot cover over the cloth, making sure that the cloth is firmly fastened and didn’t drop onto the cake batter.💡

So far, my late mother-in-law had been steaming her eggcakes in a large aluminium trays for many years with success and I have been using metal baking trays and even a Corningware casserole pot as shown in the picture above. I am guessing using rattan steamers will allow the steam to flow better into the cake batter.😉

you said:
“If there is enough space between the top of the cake and the bottom of the wok cover, place a piece of muslin or thin cloth over the wok to prevent water from dropping back onto the cake”

i’ve been turning this over my mind too – we have deep stock pot, maybe i can use that, but im very glad to get validation from you as it it makes me feel more confident before – it has been done before; it can be done!😀

thanks for sharing your numerous examples – i find that very helpful when talking to people who can cook, because i am a particlarly fussy cook. I like to cook Cantonese dishes, and I am a purist – so someone like Kylie Kwong-who i’m sure means well, btw-makes me cry.

i once saw her toss triangle-sliced carrots and cucumbers into her Hokkien mee :O

i look forward to chatting with you again. i don’t have a food blog, but i definitely love cooking, and am just starting to learn how to bake.

i’m a woman btw, 39yo – i just chose this name, ssfatguy because i found this funny picture of a fat man on a red bot sinking it, while eating a hamburger. you’ll see it when you google ssfatguy.🙂

happyhomemaker88 said,

Heheh, I was imaging a fat guy in SS, Petaling Jaya when I saw your username.😳 Thanks for clearing up my misconception.😆

Heheh, my husband is a purist like you, too – he gets all flustered up when I try to modify his mom’s recipes (they are Hokkien, I am Hakka). I remember on one occasion, I added some other ingredients to a Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork Belly in Garlic and Soy Sauce), he said it didn’t taste like his mother’s!😆

Do drop by anytime you like and we will have a cup of virtual tea or kopi here together!😉

Chris B said,

Did you take the steaming lid off before it was finished cooking? i.e. to check that it was coming on nicely? Because if you let cold air get to a cake before it’s cooked all the way through it will deflate.

Chris B said,

That’s the thing with baking, it’s not like normal cooking where you can deviate slightly from the recipe. It’s more like science and you have to follow the recipes to the letter. So if you check up on it after 15 minutes you’re still checking it at least 10 minutes too early. The recipes above all say steam for 25-30 minutes, so you mustn’t check till then as it will be like a souffle and sink. After 25 minutes you can check very very quickly with a skewer to the centre to see if it comes out dry. If not leave for the extra 5 minutes.

zoe said,

l will tried to make the cake but afraid not successful as first time making cake. Recently had a bad sore throat, had seen you mentioned a miracle vegetable soup for a sore throat. May i know the ingredient . Thank

happyhomemaker88 said,

This cake is not as moist as those cakes that have butter/margarine/oil in them. That’s why I like to dunk my slice of egg cake into Milo when I eat it. I am not sure if adding a little olive oil will make this cake more moist, and I have not tried using fructose sugar either and therefore, I’m afraid I can’t offer any advice there.😳

hello said,

hello🙂 i tried making it but it didn’t rise much and the cake was kinda dense, what could be the problem? is it because i used plain flour? i also used aluminium foil, can it be a substitute for baking paper? thanks🙂

hello said,

happyhomemaker88 said,

I have used plain flour to make this cake and I feel the aluminium foil shouldn’t be a problem either. Usually, it is best to steam the cake right after the batter is ready…otherwise, the ‘air” in the batter will get “deflated”.💡

lawrence loh said,

Good question there! Yes, you can use self-raising flour to make this cake, too – actually, the texture of the cake will be even lighter and better.💡

If I have self-raising flour, I will that first, and only if I don’t have that, I will use normal flour with baking powder. Most of the time, we tend to have normal flour in our pantry and if we decide suddenly to whip up this tasty cake in a jiffy, the baking powder will help rise the cake properly.

You can add a little cocoa or coffee powder into the flour to give the cake a different flavour, too!💡

emerald said,

I was never good at baking cakes but succeeded in making this gai dan gou (my first attempt) last weekend. I was very happy and my girl loved eating the cake very much. Haha, she was asking me to make it again the next day.

Wow, that’s a wonderful idea indeed for changing the flavour of your steamed egg cake. The pandan juice and milk should make this cake taste like the baked Pandan Chiffon Cake, minus the oil! Thank you for sharing your tip.😉

As for the flower or smiling face surface, if you are referring to the darker colours on my cake…I had used some coffee to make a “marbled” design just to make it different😳 . The normal steamed egg cake does not have a smiley nor a flower surface.😉

Yes, this recipe’s cake is more dense and eggy than the ones we buy from cake stalls/shops . To get a lighter version, we can separate the egg yolks and egg whites for beating separately (the whites are beaten until stiff) and then incorporated gently together….but that’s too much work for me.😳😆